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Appropriation gone Bad…
I discovered another example of appropriation that is quite often seen today on the shoulders of girls all over North America.
FAKE DESIGNER BAGS!
Not just purses but wallets, jewelry, key chains and clothing. A few years ago I traveled to New York City with some friends. We decided to spend one of our afternoons in China Town. We had heard stories of knock off Louis Vutton and Channel accessories being sold for more than affordable prices. We all left China Town that evening each sporting a Louis Vutton purse in every colour of the rainbow along with matching wallets. At first I was quite pleased with my purchase but as the days past I realized that I was wearing something that was stolen. It was stolen in a sense that it was not really a Louis Vutton purse but a cheaply made handbag made to look like it was worthy of the hundreds of dollars the real ones are sold for. Who was I trying to kid? No one would believe that I could afford real designer bag especially because half the girls I went to school with had the exact same one.
I didn’t know what was worse… selling these fake designer bags for money or someone like me who was buying them. These people are appropriating the image of the expensive designer look in a way, which is not legal or acceptable. At the same time middle class women are buying these designer items only to appropriate the upper class life style. I didn’t purchase my Louis Vutton purse because I liked the way it looked but because I liked what it represented. By carrying around this little handbag I was telling the world I had money to spare, which was not the case at all. By the time I returned home I had decided to give away my appropriated aristocracy and spend my money on things that were a little bit more important.
After last lecture I really wanted to devote my last three posts to exploring appropriation in different ways. After taking this course I have come to realize that appropriation can be found all around us. I’ve become quite interested in how appropriation causes controversy and how it is used as a reflection of society.
For example, Ruth Handle invented The Barbie doll in 1959. She named the doll after her daughter, Barbara. Barbie was first introduced to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York City. The doll was intended for little girls to dress up and play with.
Okay so what exactly does this have to do with authorship an appropriation? Well let’s start from the very beginning. Dolls, figurines and most toys are appropriations in themselves as they mimic real life. Dolls are miniature replications of women for little girls to dress up and play with. Well in 1959 that all changed. The Barbie doll was available to young children and she became much more than just a doll.
Before we get into the Barbie craze we must understand her roots. The Barbie doll is an appropriation based on a German doll called Bild Lilli. The Bild Lilli Doll was a German fashion doll produced in the early 1950s. The doll was an appropriation based on the comic-strip character created by Reinhard Beuthien for a comic book entitled Bild-Zeitung. Mattel gained rights to the doll and began to produce the Barbie doll we know today.
Not only is Barbie herself an appropriation but she was a fashion doll who wore clothes that were styled to resemble what was in fashion in America during this time period. The controversy here was not a result of Barbie extensive wardrobe but rather Barbie’s plastic proportions. If Barbie were life sized her measurements would be an impossible 36 bust 18 waist and 38 hips.
This became so controversial because Barbie was now and idealistic icon of feminine beauty. She became to be known as the perfect women and young girls would aspire to look like their plastic pals. An appropriation was being made… women began to appropriate Barbie’s image into their own look. Thin and blonde became the new beautiful and celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly reinforced this.
Sooner then later Barbie became a much more diverse doll adapting to different cultural identities and even professions. Barbie was now an ethnic woman and a working girl yet still managed to maintain her impossibly perfect 18-inch waste. There have been many lawsuits and even bands of distribution of the doll, as it formally did not conform to different ideals of beauty in other countries which inspired the creation of dolls like Fulla, an alternative to Barbie sold in Middle Eastern countries. Barbie’s Waist eventually began to widen over time and is now much bigger then it was in the 1950’s. I think this can be looked at as a reflection of today’s society, and it’s fight against the ideals of anorexicly thin girls.
Barbie is an appropriation of the German doll Bild Lilli who is an appropriation of a comic book character. Barbie later begins to appropriate modern culture as she takes on numerous occupations. Women’s rights were slowly being introduced and the dolls reflected this. Barbie also reflected the world’s racial digression as she became available in many different ethnic backgrounds. Barbie also inspired a series of films, cartoons, books, and collectable paraphernalia. Finally Barbie inspired the future of plastic dolls most recently a line of dolls called Bratz. These dolls have also caused much controversy for their large eyes, full lips, small noses, long thin legs and big breasts.
–Allison
